#fenixtj

"Si, but the COUNTESS is friends with many folk, and she is a commoner AND a noble, and outranks any Baroness."

"I know. But it's different."

"And, I am friends with a Condesa who is also a Princesca and outranks them all in my eyes. Is our friendship not real?"

Lip-quiver.

"Is it no? Because I think it is."

"I want it to be."

"But it's not... it's not equal, is it? It's not fair."

"How is it not equal? Maybe at court, si. But when it's us, being friends, I do not see you up or down, you are right here."

She picks at the lace trim on her dress.

"Because you call me princess?"

"And you help me, and I don't help you very much."

That stops her for a moment. "It is a... apodo? el mote? A nickname? I will throw it down the mountain if it bothers you. " She mimes wadding something up and tossing it away. "You help me every day. You remind me that I have a new place here, and a new home, and people who are my amigas. You covered for me when I was reading a book and Dama Ash would have scolded me? And you tasted the cookies I made and said they were good when I know they were burnt." She ticks off her fingers.

"We have different duties, but that does not mean we are not AMIGAS. Unless you wished it so, and in which case, I would be stubborn and would not go anyways." She crosses her arms.

"Your Baroness friend may not be friends with her commoners, but that is not right. That is just sad that she does not think she can. Let us watch when we go on this trip and keep track. If you find more Sidhe that do not have friends in their people, then I will admit you are right. But I think we will see otherwise. Si? It is an eye-spy."

"I don't know. I don't think maybe... maybe.. maybe I'm not a very good friend back, and I'm scared I'll screw everything up maybe, when we get to see Vaeltilde, but I have to be nice with her. She's the heir and I'm the heir, and that's my job, and that's what I have to do first..."

"Then it is my job to help you do your job. So whereever you go, and whatever else you do, we will be by your side."

"Unless you don't want to be..."

"I never tell a lie about friendship." She crosses her chest with a finger. "I never lie at all, but you know what I mean."

"I really like you and Ariel." Melancholy, wistful.

"Then, talk to us. You do not need to hide. Friends may disagree, but we will understand. Si?"

"Maybe?"

"Si." She responds, more firmly. "Do you think we can give the horses apples if we ask?"

"Even the rude one?"

"I don't know how ready they are..."

"Let's get some apples and some ribbons. I can eat one if the horses are not ready. Can we braid Cabracita - " A pause, and she adds in instead, "We can braid Ariel's hair too?"

Softly, with regret. "I like the nicknames."

"You are as brave and smart as the ones in our movies." A small smile. "That is why you are as a princesca to me. Not any silly nobility."

"You're brave. And smart. Smarter than Belle, even."

"I am not brave, that is you two. I am stubborn though, like Tiana."

"Just wait until you can COOK like Tiana."

"Oh, and she shapeshifts, too! Kinda!"

A grin. "Have you tried painting, like Rapunzel? We could paint the face-painter's face! He has so much art, but not on his face, it is probably lonely."

"Oh! We have a deal with Mister Duff!"

"He'll paint our faces for when we visit the holds, in exchange for a drawing. I promised him one, but I bet he'd like more than one... I made sure they packed crayons, too."

"Did you specify that it was a drawing on PAPER?" Slyly.

"Um.. no?"

"Ohhh..."

A grin

"He'd look very nice with, like, an Aztec design, like.. the sun?"

"Si!" A grin.

"I thought we could get designs to match the hold - sea things for the first, and then, oh, gears and everything for the Co-op, and... well, the Pit has fighting..."

"Could we be luchadores, maybe?"

"That is a good idea! I would like to be the Yellow bandita." A grin.

"Yes! And I could be.. oh... oh... Morada Maurader!"

"What color suits Ariel?" She ponders.

"I think she likes green best... like, a blue-ish one."

"Not a yellowy one."

"No, Yellow is mine! Verde... si."

"Yellow is yours. Like sunflowers." She reaches out to touch Salma's bow.

She grins. "Should we find our fellow fighter?"